New cancer hospital treating first patients in Newnan

By ALEX MCRAE

alex@newnan.com

The first patients at Coweta’s newest hospital began receiving care Wednesday at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Newnan.

Patients arrived all morning with smiles on their faces and were greeted with hugs and words of encouragement from staff and medical professionals. Before noon, patients were receiving treatment in one of the facility’s state-of-the art private treatment rooms.

“We are thrilled to finally have patients here,” said Dr. George Daneker, chief of staff, chief of surgery and surgical oncologist of CTCA at Southeastern. “It’s been a long time coming, and we are ready to start delivering the kind of cancer care that’s only found in a specialty facility like this.”

Daneker pointed out that one of CTCA’s advantages is having doctors, diagnostic and treatment facilities under one roof and easily accessible to the person receiving care.

“At other places you might have to go to another office or another building to see different specialists, and sometimes it may be a day or two between appointments,” Daneker said. “Here, everyone is right in the building and we bring the doctor to the patients. That makes treatment much easier for our patients.”

The new hospital opened to patients one year after the 2011 groundbreaking. A formal grand opening will be held next month, officials said.

“Being here today is almost like being present at the birth of someone in the family,” Daneker said. “We all feel like family here. And we are excited to start working with our patients. We understand the power and importance of hope, and our treatment options are strictly geared to the needs of the patients.”

The 226,000-square-foot, fully-digital facility at Parkway North and McIntosh Parkway across from Ashley Park is the fifth CTCA regional destination hospital. The facility specializes in treatment of advanced-stage and complex cancer. Among the featured treatment options is TomoTherapy Advanced Radiotherapy. The Tomo, as it is called, delivers advanced radiation therapy for patients who have difficult-to-reach tumors and/or have reached their maximum tolerance dosage of traditional radiation, CTCA officials said. TomoTherapy® may be used to treat lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, lymphoma, throat, kidney, stomach and testicular cancers.

“At CTCA, we have the best people and the best equipment so we can offer more options and more innovative therapies — and more hope — to patients and their families,” Daneker said.